1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the field of emergency rescue techniques. More particularly, the invention pertains to a method and apparatus for stabilizing a roof-resting motor vehicle, such as for access by rescue workers.
2. Description of Related Art
A roof-resting motor vehicle can be a difficult situation for rescue teams in terms of stabilization. In any stabilization effort, quick and simple solutions are desired. Time spent on vehicle stabilization is time not spent on victim extrication and patient care. What is often overlooked is that most of the known quick and simple techniques for stabilizing a roof-resting vehicle interfere with the passenger compartment. Many of these techniques involve attaching restraint straps to the rear posts, or running straps across the door up to the undercarriage of the vehicle, thus limiting extrication options.
Another problem with the stabilization of a roof-resting vehicle is that the locations most desired to place stabilization stands are the least conducive to a good purchase. In many situations, the engine weight of the vehicle keeps the nose down and the rear end up, leaving a sloped slippery surface with little for a prop tip to engage. The rear of a typical sedan, for example, provides very few solid locations for stand engagement. Examples of areas which typically lend themselves to purchase include fender light knockouts in fenders, gas fill openings, rear trunk walls, tail light knockouts, and some bumpers or bumper supports. Often one can punch out the rear fender lights, thus leaving a hole in the fender as a purchase point.
Depending on vehicle condition as a result of the collision, the presence of rust, and/or vehicle material composition, one may be able to gain a purchase sufficient to remove “play” in the vehicle. However, if vertical support is necessary, this could be a problem with sheet metal or plastic materials, particularly if the fenders are the only purchase. If one opens the gas fill door, one may find a good purchase there. Unfortunately, a gas fill door typically is available only on one side, of the vehicle (although some models of vehicles have them on two sides, but this is a rare exception). If fuel is leaking, this will have to be addressed also. Setting the metal stand against a metal fender could possibly cause ignition.
The rear trunk wall usually provides a good grip for a channel type end fitting. However, getting to it can often be difficult, unless the trunk lid is removed. Bumpers are another option, and come in many shapes and materials. Some are strong, some are weak. Bumper supports vary considerably as well. One technique which is very quick to employ, is a single stand centered in the rear of the vehicle, in conjunction with step blocking or wedges in front of the ‘A’ posts. This basically provides three points of stabilization. However, two of the points, the wedges, are low relative to the center of gravity of the vehicle, and do little to increase the vehicle “footprint”.
Note that a roof-resting vehicle has a much lower center of gravity in comparison with a side-resting vehicle, as well as a wider footprint to start with. The wedges do, however increase good solid ground contact. An advantage to this type of setup is that the prop purchase is typically a solid one with the rear trunk wall or a solid bumper, and the base is well restrained. However, there are several disadvantages with this type of setup. To restrain the base properly, the straps typically are either hooked at the rear posts, or run up the sides to the vehicle undercarriage. Attaching to the rear posts can in some situations cause difficulty in roof removal. Further, straps that run up the sides in front of the doors limit access from the sides. In addition, the stand itself is centered in the rear of the vehicle, thus hampering access to the rear window.
Another known method is to apply a stand at each fender, again with wedges in front of the ‘A’ post. With a good purchase, this can be sufficient stabilization in some cases. With this setup, the base strap of one stand is connected to the opposite stand base. Disadvantages with this setup include the purchase difficulties mentioned earlier, along with the fact that the bases are not restrained as completely as possible. If the vehicle can be restrained from sliding, the lack of sideward base restraint most likely will not be an issue. An advantage to this setup is that the passenger compartment is left relatively unobstructed.
Another known technique is to combine the previous two methods, thus providing a stand at both rear fenders and a stand at the rear center, along with the wedge cribbing at the ‘A’ post. Restraint straps can be configured in a few different ways. One strapping configuration is to strap the fender stand bases to each other independent of the rear stand, and to strap the rear stand base to the rear roof posts using ‘J’ hooks. Another method is to strap the rear stand to the fender stands, and then strap the fender stands to the rear post. In addition, the fender stands may be strapped to each other. In this situation, the straps connected to the rear posts can be moved to the front of the vehicle, thus leaving the passenger compartment unobstructed. The final strap configuration noted above keeps extrication options open, however, the difficulty of finding quick and solid stand engagement remains a problem.
Michalo, U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,170, “Adjustable Self Locking Shoring Strut”, and Cudmore, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,705, “Vehicle Stabilization and Support Tool” are examples of prior art shoring struts, which could be used with the method of the invention, if equipped with appropriately designed end fittings, which are not shown in the patents. Neither patent discloses a method of use similar to the method of the invention. Cudmore, et. al, suggests tying the base of a support tool to the vehicle, but uses only one strut and does not discuss where the strap should be attached.